2016 can be a year of travel and adventure if you make it so. Here are few locales to consider adding to your itinerary when traversing the globe this year:

Kotor, Montenegro

Surrounded on all sides by picturesque mountains and breathtaking scenery, Kotor is an ideal location for those looking for a getaway in a Mediterranean village full of character, history, and striking visuals. Beyond its historical walls is the Bay of Kotor, which surrounded by mountain scapes, looks as close to a Scandinavian fjord as you will get in the southern European countries.

Quito, Ecuador

This city has not garnered much acclaim as of late, but with its rich history and climbing economic growth, Quito has had the opportunity to develop as a country while maintaining much of its historical appeal, dating back to the 1600s. Some may think that the prime years of Quito are behind us. However, with an influx of oil money being funneled into the country, it’s very possible that the best years of Quito are yet to come.

Dublin, Ireland

Disregarding its past, sorted history, Dublin has become a truly cosmopolitan city with a current increase in culture, people, and sights to see and experienced like nothing you’ve ever seen from Dublin before. Interestingly, over 40% of the population is under 30, making it a great destination to see new and fun art, music, and youth culture in a vivacious, richly historical setting.

George Town, Malaysia

There are no other cities that incorporate the old and the new like George Town does. The increasingly growing and prospering youth and art scenes and interestingly juxtaposed with the city’s historical Unesco World Heritage-listed streetscape. Art, film, and streetstyle have merged with the local culture and history of George Town, making it one of the most sought-after vacation spots o 2016.

Many scientific and medical studies have researched and observed the effect salt has on the human body. However, the jury is still out on this one when it comes to public opinion on the matter.

While the majority of medical officials will advise against too much salt intake, the analysis of scientific data and comments reveal the debate is polarizing.

Opinions vary, but the majority either falls under the belief that salt should be dramatically decreased or that salt isn’t all that bad for you!

Overall, in analysing a number of studies and data on the subject and public opinion, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health reports that about 54% are in support of the ideas that overall reduction of salt intake reduces health risks. Conversely, about 33% are not in support of this hypothesis, and about 13% are neutral on the subject.

The researchers of the study at Columbia Medical methodically reviewed over 269 academic reports that were published between 1979 and 2014. These reports varied and included primary studies, meta-analysis, clinical guidelines, consensus statements, comments, letters, and narrative reviews.

Each instance of collected data was organized and separated by varied opinion on whether or not salt intake is related to reduced heart disease, stroke, and death. Over half of these reports investigated were gathered after 2011, suggesting increased interest in the subject in later years.

So, what conclusions can we draw from this information? Overall, it is clear that reduced salt intake does result in healthier living. However, for some, salt is not a worrying factor in their diet, and can live completely healthy lives without reducing salt consumption.

If you have a history of heart disease and stroke in your family, a diet of reduced salt might be a smart preventative decision. If not and you do not believe your salt consumption is of concern, you may have little to be concerned abo

As the smog increases in China, bottles of Canadian Rocky air are flying off the shelves.

Earlier this December, for the first time in history, Beijing issued a red alert for smog, and Canadian Rocky air is selling out. Vitality Air, a company in the business of bottling and reselling air from Banff, Alberta and Lake Louis in Banff National Park, has already sold out of it’s first shipment in China. Each canister of Vitality Air comes with an attached face mask the user can breathe through.

According to the Vitality Air website, their intention is as follows: “We want our customers to experience breathing the way it was intended. Free of city pollution, fragrances and waste; our Banff and Lake Louise lines of clean air are unmatchable in quality.”

While China is Vitality Air’s biggest market, the company also sells bottles of oxygen and fresh air in the Middle East, India, and North America.

The company obviously has a great marketing team because Vitality Air is now offering mini bottles of fresh air and suggesting they be purchased as unique stocking stuffers this holiday season.

The cofounders of Vitality Air started their business as a joke back in 2014. Originally, as a gag, Moses Lam and Troy Paquette sold plastic bags filled with air on eBay, for as little as $.50 per bag. They knew their prank was turning into a serious situation when one of these bags of air was sold for $160. Paquette and Lam knew there was a market and demand out there they needed to tap in to.

The pollution in China had actually improved in the first three quarters of the year. However, smog can be seen from space over China. Beijing was forced to terminate outdoor activities in schools for a time and close some roads due to decreased visibility.

Photography has become so mainstream, anyone with an iPhone can take amazing pictures with little-to-no formal training. Thankfully, The Guardian has rounded up the best Travel Photographers of the 2015 and I’ve gathered them here as because their work deserves to be shared and seen and praised.

#1, The Winner, Best Travel Photographer of the Year: Marsel van Oosten.

The above photograph is of Cypress trees in a bayou of the Atchafalaya basin in Louisiana. On a misty morning in the United State’s largest wetland, this photo exudes opulence, and is composed almost as perfectly as the light shins through the trees. Oosten is a professional nature photographer from the Netherlands; he often contributes to National Geographic.

Young Travel Photographer of the Year: Chase Guttman

Guttman’s photograph shows a Basuto tribal leader and local shepherds in Semonkong, Lesotho. This young professional has been winning photography awards for year. First, back in 2010 when he was recognized in the 14-and-under group, then again in 2-12 winning the Emerging Talent award, and again this year at age 18.

Runner-up, people and culture portfolio: Timothy Allen

This stunning photograph depicts the Kazakh wedding season in the Altai mountains in Central Asia. A British photographer, Allen is known best for his coverage of indigenous people.

Recent DNA tests reveal that the Denisovans lived alongside humans and Neanderthals for thousands of years.

Found in the archaeological site of the Denisova cave in Siberia, Russia, a molar tooth belonging to a female who lived over 50,000 years ago reveals that our Homo sapien ancestors may have had cousins!

Denisovans were only discovered to have existed 5 years ago.In 2010, a team of geneticists and anthropologists found a molar and finger bone, revealing strange DNA sequences.

Svante Pääbo of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology led the team. He states, “It’s an amazing place because it’s actually the only place in the world where we know that three different groups of humans with very different histories all lived”

According to the DNA from this finger bone and molar, it has become clear that Denisovans contributed about 5% of the genome of Melanesians, living in Papua New Guinea and parts of the Pacific.

While very little is known about the Denisovans, from the 2010 discovery of another tooth, large in size, it is clear that they are distinctly different from modern humans and Neanderthals.

According to Bence Viola, the anthropologist from the University of Toronto tasked with examining the first Denisovan wisdom tooth, “large teeth with massive roots would probably require massive jaws.” So far, this is the only indication scientists have about what the Denisovans looked like.

There is a lot left to learn about the Denisovans.

Scientists do not actually know how old these bone fragments are except that they are over 50,000 years old. Also, contradictory to the 2010 studies, the research suggests that Denisovans are not as closely related to Neanderthals as previously thought.

While little is known about this human cousin, there are possibly many concealed Denisovans mistaken for humans or Homo erectus in museums across the world.

In the south of China, anthropologies have found many human teeth between 80,000 and 120,000 years old, featuring modern and ancient features, just like Denisovan teeth.

Much is to be revealed as research continues and more discoveries are made. With these new revelations, more about our own human history can be clarified.

Dr. Oluleke Badmos

Based in Toronto, Dr. Oluleke Badmos is an obstetrician and gynecologist with nearly 30 years experience. He works at Toronto East General Hospital and has successfully delivered thousands of healthy babies.